peters



encargara DAVID PACKARD, OF ST. JOSEPH,` MISSOURI.

Leners Patent Naseem, awa January 19, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-MACHINES.

The schedule referred ne in these Letters Patent and makmg pm of um aan.

To all whom it ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, Dnvn) PACKARD, of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan, and State of Missouri, have invented a new and improved Brick-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', which Will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in brickmachines; and

It consists in the arrangement of parts, whereby the follower of the press is raised by a cam-wheel and depressed by a treadle, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 1, Sheet N o. l, is a front view of my invention, a small portion being broken away in order to exhibit certain internal parts.

Figure2, Sheet N o. 2, a vertical section of the same, taken in the line x x, fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. Y.

A represents what is generally termed the mudmill, and which grinds or tempers the clay.

This mud-mill consists of a box, having a shaft, B,

fitted vertically and centrally within it, with arms or beaters, a, passing transversely through the shaft.

' The lower part of this shaft has scrapers, O, attached, for forcing the tempered clay into apress-box, D, which, in this instance, is at the front side of the box of the mud-mill, as shown clearly in g. 2.

These parts, being .common to the generality of brick-machines, do not require a special description.

The bottom of the press-box D is provided with a grating, E, which serves as a guide for the clay, as the latter is pressed into the moulds, a bar, a, of the grating, being over each portion, b, in the mould F. (See iig. l.)

This grating is also old, and therefore does not require a special description.

On the upper part of the shaft B there is keyed a horizontal wheel, Gr, which has four inclined planes, c, on its upper surface.

This wheel performs the function of a cam, and is designed to raise a plunger, H, which works within the press-box D.

This is eected as follows:

The plunger has a vertical rod, I, attached to it, which extends upward a suitable distance, is bent horizontally over at its upper end, or has a horizontal arm, d, attached, with an anti-friction-roller, c, thereon., said roller extending over the rim of wheelV G, on which are the inclined planesc. (See, more particularly, fig. 2.)

As the Wheel G rotates, the inclined planes raise the rod I, and consequently the plunger H.

J is a lever, having its fulcrum-pin f at one end, as

. shown in iig. 1, the opposite end of Ysaid lever being.

connected, by a rod, K, with a treadle, L, at the lower part of one side of the machine. (See fig. l.)

To about the centre of the lever J there is secured a pendent-rod or bar, M, which rests 0r bears upon the centre of the plunger H; the latter being forced down, so as to press the clay from the press-box D, down through the grating E, into the mould I, underneath the grating.

The mould F rests upon a carriage, N, which runs upon rollers O O, in the lower part of the machine.

The carriage is operated by straps or chains g, which i are attached to a segment-arm, l?, on arock-shaft, Q, in the lower part of the machine, said shaft being operated through the medium of a hand-lever, R, inserted in or attached to it.

The. filled moulds are brought forward from underneath the press-box I) by the forward movement of the carriage N, and the rear portion of the carriage has an elevated portion, h, which, When-the iilled mould is shoved from underneath the press-box, serves to close up the bottom of the press-box.

The filled mould is removed from the carriage N, and an empty one put in its place, and is then moved back underneath the press-box, the empty mould being thereby brought under the grating E, and in a position to be, lled, by having the clay pressed into it by the forcing down of the'plunger H, through the medium of the treadle L. Y

The shaft B may be turned by hand or other power.

The principal advantage of my invention consists in the mode of pressing by means of the foot.

The operator can give a greater or less pressure to the clay, as may be desired, according 'to the condition of the latter.

Clay is sometimes quite hard, and at other times 'quite soft, and when soft it does not require as much pressure as it does when hard. A

The operator can gauge the pressure with great nicety, as the resistance odered by' the clay to the pressure of the foot on the treadle will indicate its condition with certainty.

The principal objection urged against brick-machines is their arbitrary or positive movement, which frequently causes, when soft clay is forced into the moulds under too great a pressure, the bricks to stick in the moulds, and when the clay is rather stiff or hard, the pressure is not suiicient, and imperfect bricks are produced.

Another' advantage consists in the means for operating the mould-carriage, which admits of the operator easingits movement in case of any obstructions, such asstones, roots, Sto., which may be in the clay, and partially pressed into the mould. With the automatic mechanism of the power-presses, the moulds and pressbox are frequently injured by these obstructions.

Various plans have been essayed to obviate this difficulty, but hithertoy they have onlyserved to render the machine more complicated, more expensive to manufacture, and more liable .to be derangedby use.

- By my improvement, it 'is believed that all the ad-V vantages of the power brick-maehines-are obtained,

and the diculties attending their .perfect operation1 avoided; l

' My machines may be manufactured at' a less cost,

lbeen operated by a treadle without a earn-wheel, but

these do vnet constitute my invention, and I do not, therefore, claim them.

-What Ido claim as new, and-desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

`The va .r'langenlent of -the vertical rod I, lever J,

plunger H, and bar M, with the cam-wheel G and .treadle L, alll operating as described, whereby the plunger is raised by the cam-wheel anddepressed by lthe treadle, as herein set forth, for the purpose speci- .Witnessesf 'WM. LAsBRENm,

L.- L. BRIDGES. v

DAVID PACKARD. 

